On 9th of February AI Salon visited the Stockholm School of Economics and opened Students’ Sport & Business Week with a clear focus on AI in SportsTech.

“AI Salon is the global community for AI founders and builders, investors, and partners to connect and collaborate.”

After a short mingle, IDU President Frans-Gorm Petersson welcomed everyone. Ingrid af Sandeberg (SSE Alumni), Rebecka Löthman Rydå, and Melina Diamantoglou then introduced the evening’s program and shared their vision of building a developer-to-developer community - one that focuses on sharing questions and challenges, not just polished learnings.

Four fantastic speakers inspired us on why sport is such an exciting market for innovation and development: it’s about brilliant ideas, but also the ability to execute strategy and bring the right people on board.

Ola Ahlvarsson, a serial entrepreneur, emphasized the importance of his martial arts experience in shaping his career journey. He compared entrepreneurship to sport - success comes from discipline, resilience, and the ability to keep showing up after setbacks.

Carolina Klüft, World Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and CEO of Generation Pep, spoke about the importance of sport in people’s lives and her efforts to make it accessible to all children and young people. She stressed that everyone deserves a real opportunity to try different sports, understand their benefits, and access them easily. She also highlighted the role of entrepreneurs and new technologies in raising awareness and improving accessibility.

Jonas Persson, serial entrepreneur and CEO of Commercial Sports Media, shared insights into emerging technologies in sports broadcasting and the role AI will play in shaping the future of the industry. He explained how his company continues to push boundaries to make sports viewership more affordable, reliable, and accessible worldwide.

Petter Werner from Commercial Sports Media focused on investing in emerging industries and what investors look for when making such decisions. He emphasized the importance of character and perseverance, noting that an entrepreneur and their company form a single unit - and that the founder’s mindset and resilience often determine investment success.

Before the conclusion of the salon we also got to hear exciting live demos from: Alok Alström (Data Talks), Hampus Jildenbäck (KIN) and Lovisa Brunnberg (Sponswatch)

The evening wrapped up with an energizing mingle and great conversations across sport, tech, entrepreneurship, and investment.

Thank you AI Salon for coming to SSE and setting the tone for IDU Sport & Business Week – and to all the speakers for sharing your valuable insights with participants.